At the end of year we tend to get bombarded with all kinds of writings regarding New Year’s Resolutions. Yet, I agree with Mike Brown in Brainzooming and with the study reported recently in The Guardian that most New year's resolutions are doomed to failure, because of the way they are made. They tend to be too vague, general, and with no thought for how to achieve the goal.
By the beginning of February, most people and organizations don’t even remember anymore what their New Year’s resolutions were. Many have given up on even trying to anything about them. That is why I want to make a case for finding a way of keeping New Year’s resolutions. It only requires a few tweaks. . . It’s relatively easy if you decide to REWIRE your brain to create your future
I just finished writing a very practical e-book that you can download for free. In it I give 6 strategies for making changes and achieving goals. I will give you here the super-short version. To help you remember better, I have used the acronym REWIRE. It stands for readiness, engagement, work, imagination, repetition, and enjoyment.
First we have Readiness. Your mind has to be ready to make a focused, no barrels hold, commitment. It includes clarity about what, why, and how. Most resolutions fail because of lack of clarity. Knowing what are your fears (and find ways to relieve them), your strengths and weaknesses also contribute to readiness.
The second strategy is Engagement. This involves both sides of the brain: a) the analytical by crafting a careful plan that is clear, firm, detailed, very specific and measurable. b) the intuitive and emotional side by harnessing feelings to facilitate change. Cultivating images that evoke feelings of urgency; reading inspirational stories; remembering a dramatic personal story that graphically shows you the need for change; vividly imagining the good feelings that you will experienced when acting the way you want; or making a change in your environment that will concretely remind you of the change you are making; are good examples of how to do this.
The third strategy is Work. Change requires work, but it has to be intelligent work, not just busy work. It requires to act decisively and not let distractions or difficulties derail you. Decide on a firm and specific date to start your change. Speak to others about your decision and enroll their help. Take small, realistic, doable steps you can succeed at and enjoy your daily progress. You also need focus. If you try to change too many things at the same time, you will lose focus and dilute your efforts. Pick the one behavior pattern that will make the biggest difference, and focus on that.
Another helpful strategy, our fourth, is the use of your Imagination. You have to see yourself exhibiting the new behaviors and what is possible, taste the success. Dream big, not small. Take risks, access your spirituality, and set your standard high. Remember other times when your dreams have come true, read about other’s people dreams and successes. Imagine the results you expect at the end of your journey for the specific change you want to make. There IS power in positive thinking!
The fifth strategy is Repetition. “Practice makes perfect.” The only way the connections in your brain are going to get easier and easier to make, is by repeating your actions day after day, after day, until it’s easy. That is how you REWIRE your brain. It now becomes part of your new learning, a new habit. Automatic. You have to persist until you get to that break-through moment though, do not quit before. To be successful at changing anything you need to keep repeating the new behavior, no matter how difficult it is, until it is not hard anymore.
Finally, the sixth strategy is Enjoyment, not only of the end result, but of every step of the way. The change needs to feel right. You need to take the time to enjoy your success every day, so you will not give up. Celebrate even the smallest advancement.
If you follow this ideas, you will certainly REWIRE your brain and create a better future for yourself and your organization. That’s the way to keep New Year’s Resolutions!